Tories to pay some graduate loans - graduate jobs

In a bid to encourage top science graduates to take up teaching, the Conservatives have proposed to pay off their student loans.

Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove outlined Tory plans based on President Barack Obama's education policy to elevate the status of teaching as a profession.

Graduates earning a first class or 2:1 degree in science, technology or maths from a university picked by the Tories will be eligible for the scheme, which would draw funds from the Training and Development Agency's current budget.

Each could potentially save up to £40,000 in total as their loans will be paid off for as long as they remain in teaching.

He told the Sir John Cass Foundation: "If after leaving school someone decides to do a maths or science degree at a designated university, achieves a 2:1 or First, and decides to go into teaching, the taxpayer will cover their student loan repayments for as long as they remain in teaching (until the loan is fully paid). If they leave teaching then they will have to take up repayments."

The offer will be open to those wishing to be primary or secondary school teachers, he added.